The Shining (1980) Dir: Stanley Kubrick

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Amazingly, I have yet to review this, one of my all-time favourite films, in the long time I've been posting. Having recently rewatched this, I figured it was about time I shared my thoughts properly. The film is, of course, based on the book by legendary author Stephen King, who, interestingly enough, infamously does not like this adaptation - as it differs heavily from his original story. That aside, the film itself, for me, as well as the vast majority of other viewers, is a near masterpiece.

The set design is superb, with a number of subtle references to the Apollo 11 moon landing, which director Stanley Kubrick famously thought was faked. Beyond that, the cinematography is genuinely gorgeous at times. It's iconic. Furthermore, the costume design is equally iconic, particularly for Shelley Duvall in my opinion.

The narrative itself, as you can expect from a story adapted from Stephen King, is very well crafted. Kubrick paces the film to perfection, allowing for the suspense to build steadily, throughout its 2 hours and 26 minute runtime, to its sinister climax.

Jack Nicholson is terrifying as the film's main star. His ability to portray the growing insanity and evil of his character is second to none. The ease with which he plays Torrence is scary and highly commendable.

Shelley Duvall is known to have had a traumatising experience on-set, but she managed to compartmentalise this on-screen and provide and an excellent and emotive performance. Her shrill panic and fear permeates the screen and the audience feels her character's fear all the more because of it.

Danny Lloyd plays the film's protagonist, and, considering how young he was at the time of filming, I think he did rather well. He's a little goofy at times, but honestly it works. I think he worked very well with his adult co-stars, and certainly deserved his role.

Finally, I'll mention Scatman Crothers, who has the most notable supporting role beyond the three main actors. His performance is energetic and eccentric, which works really well for his character. I think his character's subplot compliments the main arc well, and Crothers' performance helps this work as well as it does.

Overall, this is undoubtedly one of the best films of all time. Kubrick's attention to detail, Nicholson's unhinged and superb performance, the cinematography and the brilliantly paced story - you will be hardput to find a better film.